U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRIfi^K»KE?/A>X 

BUREAU   OF  ANIMAL  INDUyBffi;  \Y*\ 

A.  D.  MELVIN,  Chief  of  Bt,-r*aE2  W*     •  *  5 


PROGRESS  AND  RESULTS  OF  CATTLE-TT€»  ERADICATE 


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for  the  eradication  of  the  cattle  tick  in  the  South  affd* Southwest 
has  been  in  progress  since  1906.  the  work  being  conducted  jointly 
by  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  of  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  and  the  State  and  county  authorities  within  the 
area  quarantined  for  Texas  fever.  It  is  also  well  known  that  this 
particular  tick,  scientifically  known  as  Margfiroptis  annulatus^  is  the 
carrier  of  Texas  fever,  and  transmits  the  disease  to  cattle,  thereby 
causing  enormous  losses  to  the  industry,  and  otherwise  crippling  it 
in  numerous  ways.  About  two  years  ago  an  effort  was  made  to 
secure  direct  evidence  from  the  cattlemen  and  farmers  concerned  as 
to  the  results  of  the  work  up  to  that  time,  and  the  replies  received 
were  for  the  most  part  highly  appreciative  of  the  work  accomplished 
and  of  the  benefits  derived  therefrom  in  those  sections  which  had 
been  cleared  of  ticks.  A  compilation  of  these  replies  was  made  and 
published  as  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  Circular  196,  entitled 
"  Some  Results  of  Cattle-tick  Eradication." 

A  similar  effort,  but  on  a  larger  scale,  has  recently  been  made  with 
the  object  of  bringing  the  results  up  to  date,  and  also  of  obtaining 
a  more  comprehensive  view  of  the  situation.  For  this  purpose  a  cir- 
cular letter  embodying  the  following  questions  was  widely  distributed 
among  the  stockmen  and  farmers  in  11  States  in  the  territory  bor- 
dering on  the  quarantine  line.     The  question-  asked  were: 

1.  What  has  been  the  average  increase  per  head  in  the  value  of  cattle  in 
your  county  since  tick  eradication  began  in  1906? 

2.  What,  if  any.  has  been  the  average  per  cent  increase  in  the  weight  of 
the  cattle  since  tick  eradication  began? 

3.  Express  in  percentage  the  average  increase  in  grade  or  quality  of  the 
cattle  since  ticks  were  eradicated. 

4.  Approximately  what  per  cent  of  cattle  died  annually  of  fever  in  your 
county  before  tick   eradication   began? 

5.  Is  there  more  sentiment  in  favor  of  cattle  raising  in  your  county  since 
the  quarantine  has  been  raised? 

6.  Has  there  been  an  increase  in  purebred  bulls  and  herds  since  the  ticks 
were  eradicated? 

7.  What  is  the  probable  per  cent  of  increase  in  milk  production  of  daily 
cows  due  to  the  absence  of  ticks? 

8.  Is  a  greater  effort  now  made  by  cattle  owners  to  provide  more  feed  and 
silos  or  other  facilities  for  caring  for  it? 

325SS0— 14 


CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION". 


Slightly  over  1,000  replies  were  received  in  all,  the  number  from 
each  Si  ale  being-:  Alabama,  25;  Arkansas,  124;  California,  39; 
Georgia,  17:  Mississippi,  356;  North  Carolina,  37;  Oklahoma,  145; 
South  Carolina,  27;  Tennessee,  171;  Texas,  59;  Virginia,  24.  The 
f<  J  lowing  is  a  summary  of  these  replies,  taking  each  question  in 
order. 

1.  AVERAGE  INCREASE  IN  VALUE  OF  CATTLE  SINCE  TICK  ERADI- 
CATION BEGAN  IN  1906. 

Some  replies  expressed  the  increase  in  percentage,  but  the  bulk 
of  the  schedules  gave  the  increase  in  monentary  value  per  head. 
Upon  averaging  these  for  each  State,  the  sums  varied  from  $7.70 
per  head  for  Alabama  to  $15  per  head  for  California,  and  the 
weighted  average  for  the  11  States  is  $9.76  per  head.  The  averages 
by  States  follow: 


Alabama $7.  70 

Arkansas 8.  31 

California 15.  00 

Georgia 8.  00 

Mississippi 9.  00 

North  Carolina 8.  30 


Oklahoma $8.  20 

South  Carolina 9.  25 

Tennessee 10.  94 

Texas 13.  79 

Virginia 13.28 

Eleven  States 9.  76 


It  must  be  admitted,  of  course,  that  all  of  this  increase  in  value  is 
not  attributable  to  the  tick  work.  We  can,  however,  get  a  line  on 
this  matter  by  comparing  the  above  advance  with  the  normal  in- 
crease which  has  taken  place  in  the  two  remaining  Southern  States 
where  little  or  no  tick-eradication  work  is  being  done,  namely, 
Florida  and  Louisiana.  Thus,  according  to  the  estimates  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  published  annually  in 
the  Yearbook,  the  average  farm  value  of  dairy  cows  in  Florida  has 
risen  $6  from  January  1,  1907,  to  January  1,  1913,  while  the  advance 
in  "Other  cattle"  during  this  time  was  only  $1.20  a  head.  In  Louisi- 
ana the  increase  in  value  of  daily  cattle  for  the  same  period  was  $5 
and  in  "Other  cattle"  $2  a  head.  There  is,  therefore,  an  immense 
advantage  in  favor  of  the  tick-free  territory  and  it  is  evident  that  a 
large  portion  of  the  gain  in  value  in  the  cleared  portions  of  the 
11  States  above  mentioned  may  fairly  be  ascribed  to  the  influence 
of  tick  work. 

2.  INCREASE  IN  WEIGHT  OF  CATTLE. 

The  great  majority  of  the  replies  stated  there  was  n  substantial 
increase  in  the  weight,  of  cattle  subsequent  to  the  clearing  of  the 
ticks.  The  averages  for  the  States  ranged  from  11  per  cent  in  Texas 
to  23  per  cent  in  Mississippi  and  the  average  per  cent  of  gain  for  the 
entire  tick-free  territory  was  19.14.  In  other  words,  the  cattle  as  a 
whole  are  considered  to  be  about  one-fifth  heavier.  All  the  schedules 
from  Alabama  and  Mississippi  declared  an  increase  without  excep- 


CATTLE-TICK    ERADICATION.  6 

tion.  In  the  other  nine  States  a  few  scattered  individuals  stated 
there  was  no  increase  in  the  weight.  These  negative  replies  num- 
bered altogether  but  5  per  cent  of  the  total  schedules. 

3.  INCREASE  IN  QUALITY  OF  CATTLE. 

The  replies  concerning  the  increase  in  the  grade  or  quality  of  the 
cattle  since  tick  eradication  were  considerably  more  flattering  than 
those  pertaining  to  the  increase  in  weight.  (Question  2.)  The  low- 
est State  average  was  16  per  cent  for  Georgia,  and  the  highest  31  per 
cent  for  Mississippi.  The  average  for  the  11  States  was  26.91 
per  cent,  which  means  that  the  cattle  in  the  tick-free  sections  at 
present  are  rather  over  one-fourth  better  in  grade  or  quality  than 
they  were  under  quarantine  conditions.  This  is  proof,  if  proof  were 
needed,  that  the  unprofitable  "  scrub  "  and  the  tick  go  together,  and 
that  when  the  latter  is  banished,  and  not  until  then,  is  the  influx  of 
purebred  animals  on  a  large  and  profitable  scale  possible. 

As  was  the  case  with  question  2,  a  few  negative  replies  stated  there 
was  no  betterment  in  quality.  Out  of  a  total  of  939  replies  there 
were  29  of  these,  or  3  per  cent. 

4.  ANNUAL  LOSSES  BEFORE  TICK  ERADICATION. 

There  is  practical  unanimity  in  allowing  that  considerable  losses 
were  caused  by  Texas  fever  before  the  inauguration  of  the  tick  work. 
The  figures  range  from  9  per  cent  in  Georgia  to  15  per  cent  in  Mis- 
sissippi and  North  Carolina,  and  the  average  for  the  11  States  is 
13  per  cent.    This  is  a  trifle  over  one-eighth  of  the  total  cattle. 

It  requires  but  little  imagination  to  see  what  a  serious  handicap 
to  the  cattle  industry  of  the  South  an  annual  loss  of  this  magnitude 
must  be.  Some  idea  of  its  extent  may  be  had  by  taking  the  census 
figures  for  cattle  in  1910.  According  to  these  there  were  in  round 
numbers  15,000,000  cattle  below  the  Texas-fever  quarantine  line, 
with  a  valuation  of  slightly  over  $270,000,000.  One-eighth  of  this 
sum  is  $34,000,000,  which  represents  roughly  the  annual  loss  from 
deaths  alone,  not  counting  the  depreciation  in  numerous  other  ways, 
such  as  stunted  growth,  discrimination  in  markets,  shrinkage  in  milk 
production,  etc.,  all  of  which  will  more  than  double  the  amount 
named. 

5.  INCREASE  IN  CATTLE  INDUSTRY  SINCE  REMOVAL  OF  QUARAN- 
TINE. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  answer  to  this  question,  with  few  excep- 
tions, is  in  the  affirmative,  there  being  984  who  answered  "  yes," 
against  29  to  the  contrary.  It  may  be  remarked,  too,  that  some  of 
the  latter  were  expressed  as  "not  yet,"  implying  that  not  sufficient 
time  has  elapsed  since  the  raising  of  the  quarantine  to  warrant  a 
more  definite  reply. 


4  CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION. 

6.  INCREASE  IN  PUREBRED   CATTLE. 

There  were  naturally  rather  more  negatives  to  this  question  than 
to  question  5,  although  on  the  whole  the  replies  must  be  considered 
extremely  satisfactory.  There  were  929  that  answered  "  yes "  and 
Gl  i;  no,"  so  that  no  less  than  94  per  cent  of  the  schedules  evidence  an 
increase  in  improved  blood.  This  is  a  healthy  condition  and  will 
no  doubt  soon  have  a  profound  effect  upon  both  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  the  output.  Some  of  the  correspondents  were  exceedingly 
emphatic,  one  man  in  Alabama  stating  there  were  "  five  times  as 
many,"  and  another  that  "  45  bulls  had  been  imported  into  the 
county." 

7.  INCREASE  IN  MILK  PRODUCTION. 

The  owners  of  dairy  cows  in  the  region  cleared  of  ticks  are  evi- 
dently well  satisfied  with  the  results  of  the  work,  since  95  per  cent 
of  the  replies  admit  there  was  an  increase,  usually  very  substantial,  in 
the  yield  of  milk.  The  lowest  estimates  are  from  Alabama  and 
Georgia,  these  two  States  averaging  15  per  cent  increase  in  each, 
while  the  highest  average,  25  per  cent  increase,  is  from  North  Caro- 
lina, closely  followed,  however,  by  24  per  cent  each  in  Mississippi 
and  Oklahoma.  The  average  for  the  11  States  is  23  per  cent,  which 
is  a  gain  of  nearly  one-fourth  in  the  total  yield. 

It  is  easy  to  see  what  a  great  advantage  this  would  be  if  it  could 
be  applied  to  all  the  ticky  cows  in  the  South.  The  additional  milk 
would  in  the  aggregate  be  worth  many  millions  of  dollars. 

8.  INCREASE  IN  FEED  CROPS  AND  SILO  BUILDING. 

That  the  eradication  of  the  tick  has  acted  as  a  strong  impetus  to  the 
cattle  and  dairy  industries  is  clearly  evidenced  in  the  answers  to  this, 
the  last  question  on  the  list.  A  general  movement  in  the  line  of 
growing  feed  crops  and  building  silos  is  indicated.  The  affirmative 
replies  to  this  question  numbered  984,  or  98  per  cent  of  all  received. 

PERSONAL  STATEMENTS. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  to  the  "Washington  office 
by  Dr.  Kiernan,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  inspector  in  charge  of 
tick-eradication  work  in  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  Tennessee : 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  September  27,  1913. 
Chief,  Bubeau  of  Animal  Industry, 

Washington,  D.  C. 
Sir:  *  *  *  I  bad  the  extreme  pleasure  of  attending  the  Tri-State  Fair  at 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  this  week,  and  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  fine  exhibits  of 
cattle  from  territory  that  had  been  recently  freed  of  ticks.  There  were  Short- 
horns, Herefords,  Angus,  lied  Polls,  and  Jerseys,  all  of  which  acquitted  them- 
selves with  great  credit  in  competition  with  herds  from  all  over  the  United 


CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION.  0 

States.  The  exhibition  of  these  cattle  means  more  than  words  can  tell.  It 
means  that  every  county  now  in  quarantine  in  the  South  can,  in  a  measure,  do 
what  these  exhibitors  have  done  within  a  few  years — develop  a  higher  type  of 
cattle.  It  is  a  shame  that  so  few  people  can  see  what  has  been  accomplished  in 
the  development  of  the  cattle  industry  in  the  South.* 

*     *     *     Twenty  millions  more  cattle  for  the  Southern  States  is  not  an  im- 
possibility, and  instead  of  an  average  value  of  $15  these  cattle  can  be  made  to 
be  worth  $30  on  the  average.     *     *     * 
Very  respectfully, 

J.  A.  Kiernan,  Veterinary  Inspector. 

The  extracts  below  are  taken  from  the  Xew  Orleans  Times-Demo- 
crat of  September  24,  1913 : 

STOCK    RAISING    IN    THE    SOUTH. 

The  American  Meat  Packers'  convention,  in  .session  at  Chicago,  has  sent  out 
a  plaintive  appeal  to  the  farmers  of  the  country,  and  particularly  those  of  the 
South,  to  save  it  and  the  nation  from  the  meat  famine  that  is  threatening  them. 
The  prices  of  meat  have  gone  steadily  upward  year  after  year,  more  than 
doubling  in  the  past  two  decades,  until  the  cow  that  jumped  over  the  moon 
seems  a  very  sober  animal.  The  situation,  say  the  packers — and  the  Agricul- 
tural Department  supports  them  statistically — is  alarming.  There  has  been  an 
actual  reduction  year  after  year  in  the  number  of  cattle  which  are  meant  for 
the  slaughterhouse,  while  the  population  has  kept  on  growing  at  a  rapid  rate. 
The  demand  is  now  far  in  advance  of  the  supply,  and  the  difference  grows 
steadily  wider.  Unless  the  farmers  come  to  the  relief  of  the  market  we  will 
soon  be  facing  a  meat  famine  when  only  the  rich  wrill  be  able  to  buy  a  steak  or 
roast.  If  the  farmers — and  particularly  Southern  farmers — give  much  atten- 
tion to  this  branch  of  farming,  say  the  packers,  they  will  find  that  it  is  to  their 
advantage  to  raise  more  corn  and  more  stock  and  not  concentrate  themselves 
too  much  on  cotton. 

At  present  rates  the  business  of  raising  a  few  steers  on  each  farm  should  prove 
most  profitable.  The  South  has  been  backward  in  this  industry,  but  has  always 
hoped  to  go  into  it.  and  it  can  do  so  now  under  the  most  favorable  conditions, 
as  the  cattle  tick,  causing  Texas  fever,  the  only  thing  that  has  stood  in  the  way, 
is  being  rapidly  got  rid  of.  It  is  raising  a  great  deal  of  corn,  more  than  it 
has  ever  done  before,  and  the  splendid  corn  crop  of  Louisiana  this  year  is  a 
direct  invitation  to  stock  raising. 

The  following  statements  are  selected  from  among  the  large  num- 
ber of  cattlemen,  dairymen,  and  farmers  who  filled  out  the  sched- 
ules and  added  personal  comments  thereto: 

ALABAMA. 

There  is  as  much  difference  between  ticks  and  no  ticks  as  there  is  between  an 
up-to-date  business  man  and  an  old  fogy.  In  fact,  if  we  had  kept  the  ticks,  we 
would  have  been  knocked  out  in  10  years. — W.  J.  Hendley,  Sumter  County. 

In  my  opinion  nothing  has  done  half  as  much  to  stimulate  interest  in  raising 
purebred  beef  as  has  "  tick  eradication."  Although  the  work  has  been  carried 
on  under  a  great  handicap  (due  to  an  unfriendly  feeling  and  fight  against  it  by 
some),  I  think  now  the  battle  is  about  over,  and  that,  due  to  this  eradicative 
work,  I  expect  to  see  very  soon  the  introduction  of  purebred  bulls  in  this 


6  CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION. 

vicinity  and  county.  Personally,  I've  been  using  a  dipping  vat  for  two  years; 
before  building  I  lost  cattle  every  year — since.  I  haven't  had  a  single  death. 
I'm  very  optimistic  relative  to  cattle  raising  in  northern  Alabama  and  feel  that 
this  has  been  brought  about  by  the  use  of  the  dipping  vat. — Frank  P.  Hurt, 
Jackson  County. 

I  do  not  see  how  anything  that  could  be  brought  about  that  would  have 
benefited  our  county  as  much  as  this  work.  I  have  not  heard  of  the  death  of 
a  cow  from  fever  this  year,  except  one  not  disinfected. — J.  F.  Hatjser,  Jackson 
County. 

ARKANSAS. 

We  had  some  trouble  here  at  first,  as  many  refused  to  dip  cattle,  but  these 
were  overcome  and  now  the  people  are  more  than  satisfied,  and  every  farmer 
is  trying  to  raise  cattle.  Our  cattle  are  bringing  now  from  34  to  5i  cents  for 
range  cattle,  so  you  see  where  Mr.  Farmer  is  satisfied. — P.  T.  Harrison,  Newton 
County. 

I  am  an  earnest  and  continuous  advocate  of  tick  eradication.  It  has  been  a 
signal  and  abiding  benefit  to  all  farmers  in  Carroll  County.  Ark.  I  have  pas- 
tured cattle  here  continuously  for  15  years.  This  year  I  have  on  grass  132 
head,  and  there  has  been  no  deaths.  I  pasture  and  have  pastured  from  the 
15th  of  April  each  year  until  the  15th  of  December. — Iverson  A.  Jones.  Carroll 
County. 

We  consider  the  eradication  work  has  been  worth  thousands  of  dollars  to 
Baxter  County.  As  our  county  is  not  very  good  for  farming,  we  depend  mostly 
on  our  cattle  for  a  living,  and  we  can't  raise  cattle  and  fever  ticks  in  the  same 
county  with  any  success. — Lonon  Bros.,  Baxter  County. 

Since  the  eradication  of  ticks  our  cattle  are  bought  more  and  at  very  much 
better  prices,  being  smooth  and  in  better  condition.  In  my  judgment  the  eradi- 
cation of  the  tick  has  given  us  the  advantage  of  no  loss  from  fever,  better  tem- 
perament and  dispositions  and  appearance  of  cattle,  thus  producing  a  greater 
flow  of  milk  under  same  feeding.  Silos  are  a  very  great  subject  with  us  now 
and  enthusiasm  prevails.  I  built  the  first  one  in  the  county  and  there  are  others 
contemplated  next  summer. — Edward  C.  Ballamy,  Fulton  County. 

CALIFORNIA. 

My  general  opinion  of  the  cattle  industry  as  favored  by  active  tick  eradica- 
tion and  measures  are,  that  by  the  active  and  intelligent  mamigenient  of  our 
Federal  and  State  authorities  this  matter  has  been  so  well  handled  and  con- 
trolled that  the  people  in  that  line  of  business  have  not  only  been  able  to  con- 
tinue, but  to  increase  their  output,  principally  by  being  able  to  bring  other 
cattle  on  their  ranches  and  by  being  able  to  use  better  quality  of  high-class 
bulls  brought  from  other  places.  I  am  decidedly  of  the  opinion  tli.it  had  not 
the  tick  eradication  received  the  prompt  and  intelligent  attention  that  it  has 
that  the  cattle  industry  in  both  beef  and  milk  in  the  counties  south  of  San 
Francisco  would  have  been  reduced  by  this  time  to  something  like  50  per  cent 
of  its  present  monetary  value. — W.  Mayo  Newtiall,  San  Francisco. 

The  dipping  process  for  the  eradication  of  the  cattle  tick  has  been  a  godsend 
to  this  county.  It  means  everything  to  the  cattle  miser  and  dairymen  of  the 
coast  section  of  the  county,  and  no  s-iiie  person  conversant  with  conditions 
here  will  for  one  instant  doubt  the  truth  of  this  statement. — Neil  Cook,  San 
Luis  Obispo  County. 


CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION.  7 

I  can  only  say  in  a  general  way  that  tlie  eradication  of  the  fever  tick  has 
been  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  southern  California,  not  only  in  the  increased 
gain  on  the  stock  and  the  absence  from  death,  but  it  has  enabled  us  to  move 
our  stock  from  one  section  of  the  country  to  another  without  loss,  which  ic 
was  impossible  to  do  before.  With  the  shortage  in  feed  on  the  coast,  the  loss 
of  stock  would  have  been  very  great  had  conditions  been  such  that  we  could 
not  move  them  for  feed.  The  quality  of  the  stock  is  increasing. — Pamo  Dairy 
&  Stock  Co.     (By  A.  B.  Foster,  San  Diego  County.) 

In  regard  to  the  eradication  of  cattle  ticks,  I  wish  to  say  there  has  not  been 
anything  that  helped  the  cattle  industry  in  this  county  like  the  good  work 
that  has  been  done  in  eradicating  the  tick.  For  years  previous  to  1906,  the 
cattle  business  was  a  dangerous  undertaking;  in  the  fall  of  the  year  we  could 
see  dead  cattle  everywhere;  now  we  very  seldom  see  a  dead  animal.  I  lost 
nearly  all  my  cattle  in  1905,  and  I  appreciate  what  has  been  done  for  us. — 
C.  A.  Jespersen,  San  Luis  Obispo  County. 

Too  much  can  not  be  said  of  the  good  that  has  been  done  in  ridding  the 
county  of  ticks.  This  caused  the  dairymen  great  inconvenience  sometimes, 
but  there  is  not  one  to-day  who  regrets  the  expense  and  trouble  of  clearing  his 
herd  of  ticks. — Dante  E.  Donati,  San  Luis  Obispo  County. 

I  wish  to  say  that  if  the  dairymen  of  this  comity  were  educated  to  the  use 
of  the  silo,  it  would  be  but  a  few  years  before  it  would  be  able  to  boast  of 
being  one  of  the  leading  coast  counties  in  the  production  of  butter  fat,  for  the 
reason  that  the  soil  and  climatic  conditions  are  exceedingly  good  for  the  rais- 
ing of  corn.  I  have  two  silos  at  the  present  time  and  am  the  only  dairyman 
in  the  county  that  I  know  of  who  feeds  silage.  I  would  not  dairy  without 
the  silo. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  say  that  the  eradication  of  the  cattle  tick  has  been  a 
great  benefit  to  all  owners  of  cattle,  and  also  to  consumers  of  beef  and  dairy 
products,  and  all  those  who  were  concerned  in  that  great  work  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated.— Geo,  A.  Erios,  San  Luis  Obispo  County. 

GEORGIA. 

In  the  year  1911  I  had  65  cows.  I  lost  12  of  the  best  I  had  by  tick  fever. 
In  the  year  1912  I  built  me  a  dipping  vat,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Lewis, 
and  that  year  I  had  125  head  of  cattle  and  began  to  dip  them  on  the  19th 
of  April,  and  did  not  lose  a  single  cow  after  the  first  dipping.  This  year  I 
had  1S7  head,  and  began  to  dip  them  on  the  17th  of  April,  and  dipped  them 
every  three  weeks,  and  have  not  lost  a  cow  this  year,  and  I  am  sure  this  tick 
eradication  is  the  best  thing  for  my  county  that  has  ever  come  to  it — A.  E. 
McWhoetex,  Greene  County. 

Tick  eradication  and  the  dairy  industry  have  progressed  hand  in  hand  here 
in  Putnam  County.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  our  creamery  (the  only  suc- 
cessful cooperative  one  in  the  State)  is  successful  because  of  tick  eradication. — 
C.  B.  Little,  Putnam  County. 

LOUISIANA. 

I  have  a  fine  herd  of  cattle,  and  they  are  worth  double  the  money  they  were 
before  we  got  rid  of  the  ticks.  I  am  sorry  our  whole  State  is  not  in  favor  of 
this  industry.  Our  back  parishes  have  so  many  people  who  are  not  in  favor 
of  dipping  cattle.— Allen  E.  Hxnds,  Madison  Parish. 


8        .  CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION. 

I  may  be  an  extremist  in  this  matter,  Laving  been  so  badly  infested  with 
ticks  when  our  work  began.  Have  been  free  from  ticks  4*  years,  but  our  parish 
is  not  entirely  free  yet.  The  grade  of  cattle  here  is  100  per  cent  over  what 
they  would  average  before  we  began  fighting  the  tick.  This  is  partly  due  to 
better  blood.  Am  sure  the  quality  of  milk  and  butter  and  also  beef  is  100 
per  cent  above  what  it  was  before  we  began  the  fight. — M.  E.  Rupee,  Claiborne 
Parish. 

MISSISSIPPI. 

To  show  you  an  instance  of  what  tick  eradication  has  done  for  us;  on  yester 
day  I  sold  to  a  feeder  from  Kentucky  a  carload  of  feeders  (Angus  grades)  for 
$6  per  hundredweight  weighed  up  on  my  own  farm;  this  is  the  highest  priced 
load  of  this  class  of  cattle  that  I  have  ever  known  to  be  sold  in  the  State. — 
J.  M.  Ajjdbich,  Benton  County. 

Cattle  are  very  much  increased  in  valuation,  and  we  can  attribute  this 
directly  to  the  dipping.  Beef  products,  as  well  as  dairy,  arc  all  reaching  a  high 
point  in  all  the  markets.  I  would  say,  further,  that  being  in  a  position  to 
look  over  the  situation  as  it  really  stands  that  it  has  affected  the  price  of  our 
lands  to  the  amount  of  not  less  than  $5  or  $10  per  acre.  Everybody  seems  to  be 
talking  live  stock.  Some  40  or  50  silos,  most  of  them  having  300-ton  capacity, 
have  been  built  in  the  meantime  and  a  number  of  herds  of  nice  purebred  beef 
cattle  are  now  being  grown  and  raised  in  our  county.  All  of  this  means  good 
roads,  good  schools,  higher  grade  of  citizenship,  and  a  general  elevation  of  all 
lines  of  life. — J.  R.  Evans,  Noxubee  County. 

I  have  been  in  the  cattle  business  myself  in  this  county  for  20  years,  and  I 
regard  the  eradication  of  ticks  as  a  great  benefit  to  the  cattle  growers  in  Mis- 
sissippi. I  am  shipping  my  cattle  now  to  East  St.  Louis,  and  they  go  into  the 
free  pens.  They  bring  from  50  to  75  cents  per  hundred  more  than  they  would 
in  the  quarantine  pens. — J.  E.  Edens,  Chickasaw  County. 

In  February,  1913,  I  began  constructing  vats  in  district  2  of  Copiah  County 
with  fully  90  per  cent  of  people  against  them.  After  building  21  vats  in  said 
district,  and  dipping  regularly  every  two  weeks  4,000  or  5,000  head  of  cattle, 
fully  90  per  cent  are  in  favor  of  dipping,  and  want  the  law  enforced  so  as  to 
eradicate  the  tick  entirely. — S.  F.  Lusk,  Copiah  County. 

Personally,  I  think  the  eradication  of  the  cattle  tick  one  of  the  greatest 
things  the  Government  has  undertaken  since  it  did  away  with  the  yellow-fever 
mosquito.  The  boll  weevil  has  done  the  cotton  growers  so  much  damage  in 
this  county  this  time  till  we  are  forced  to  look  to  the  raising  of  cattle.  With 
the  tick  this  would  be  a  failure,  so  I  think  the  eradication  of  the  tick  inesti- 
mable for  the  future  salvation  of  this  country. — Reise  Sauell,  Newton  County. 

I  consider  that  the  tick-eradication  campaign  being  made  in  this  and  adjoin- 
ing counties  is  the  best  work  that  the  Government  has  ever  done  for  Missis- 
sippi. Dr.  Vaughn  and  his  assistants  are  doing  very  thorough  work  in  this 
(Jasper)  county,  and  I  am  sure  that  by  the  time  the  summer  is  ended  the 
venomous  cattle  tick  will  be  no  more.  Quite  a  number  of  stock  farms  are  being 
started  in  this  section  and  thoroughbred  bulls  are  being  introduced.  We  expect 
to  show  you  some  things  in  the  next  five  years  not  before  on  the  map  in  south- 
ern Mississippi     Let  the  good  work  go  oil — L.  L.  Denson,  Jasper  County. 


CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION.  9 

I  am  glad  to  cooperate  with  yon  in  the  matter  of  tick  eradication.  I  regard 
tick  eradication  as  the  greatest  boon  to  Lafayette  County  during  my  lifetime 
of  residence  and  experience  here.  The  cattle  industry,  in  my  judgment,  is  sure 
to  usurp  the  place  with  us  held  by  cotton  hitherto.  Best  wishes  for  success. — 
J.  B.  Anderson,  Lafayette  County. 

I  think  the  eradication  of  ticks  is  the  greatest  thing  the  Government  has 
ever  done  for  the  farmers.  I  lost  90  head  out  of  a  herd  of  125  head  in  1904 
from  tick  fever.  I  did  not  know  what  was  the  matter  until  190G. — G.  W.  Bush, 
Lowndes  County. 

The  only  thing  we  need  is  to  have  our  laws  made  more  stringent  ia  regard 
to  dipping. — Chas.  W.  Evans,  Lowndes  County. 

NORTH   CAROLINA. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  <•>  add  my  testimony  to  the  great  value  of  the 
tick-eradication  work  and  the  improvement  of  the  cattle  industry  since  its  in- 
auguration. The  quality  of  our  cattle  is  better  and  especially  have  pure- 
bred males  been  introduced  to  a  rather  large  extent.  We  are  looking  forward 
with  confidence  to  the  complete  extermination  of  the  cattle  tick,  and  the  finish- 
ing of  this  undertaking  will  certainly  be  one  of  the  greatest  epochs  in  the  agri- 
culture of  the  State. — B.  W.  Kilgore,  Director  Xorth  Carolina  Experiment 
Station. 

This  county  is  still  under  quarantine.  Work  was  only  begun  here  last  fall, 
so  I  can't  give  a  full  report.  It  has  been  worth  $5  per  head  to  me  to  be  rid 
of  ticks  this  year.  I  have  lost  yearly  about  $200  on  my  cattle  on  account  of 
ticks.— D.  W.  S.  Smith,  Scotland  County. 

In  answering  above  inquiries  it  affords  me  much  pleasure  to  say  that  a 
great  wave  of  modern  methods  of  cattle  raising  and  the  provision  of  pastures 
and  feeds  for  them  is  now  sweeping  this  country.  We  are  trying  to  keep  the 
horse  before  the  cart  by  providing  good  pastures  first.  Great  is  the  progress 
along  this  line.  The  increase  in  the  seeding  of  land  to  clover  and  grasses  since 
the  lifting  of  quarantine  is  at  least  500  per  cent  and  by  leaps  and  bounds  the 
good  work  goes  on. — S.  A.  Underwood,  Stanly  County. 

Prior  to  1911,  I  lost  from  10  to  40  cattle  annually  out  of  a  herd  of  100;  since 
I  have  been  free  of  the  tick  I  haven't  lost  one  from  any  disease.  Think  you 
are  doing  a  great  work  and  most  heartily  indorse  the  move. — Jack  X.  Johnston, 
Warren  County. 

I  think  a  county  that  is  infested  with  the  cattle  tick  will  do  well  to  make 
an  effort  to  eradicate  them.  When  the  tick  question  wTas  raised  in  this  county 
some  men  said  there  would  be  ticks  here  as  long  as  there  were  rabbits.  We 
have  rabbits  yet,  but  the  cattle  ticks  are  eradicated.  I  was  under  quarantine 
for  12  months.  I  used  1  gallon  of  what  they  called  tick  oil  in  a  strong  soap- 
suds once  a  week.  I  thoroughly  wet  the  cows  in  this  solution  and  in  less  than 
12  months  I  saw  no  sign  of  ticks.  I  have  seen  no  sign  of  ticks  from  that  time 
to  this. — John  aI.  Morton,  Stanly  County. 

OKLAHOMA. 

The  eradication  of  the  tick  in  our  county  was  the  most  beneficial  of  anything 
that  has  been  done.  It  not  only  protects  our  cattle  from  disease  but  we  get 
much  better  prices.  The  Texas  fever  is  a  thing  of  the  past  in  Caddo  County. — 
S.  M.  Wamsley,  Caddo  County. 


10  CATTLE-TICK   ERADICATION". 

There  were  pastures  here  before  the  tick  eradication  where  the  cattle  prac- 
tically all  died.  There  is  one  pasture  right  here  in  1901  that  all  the  cattle  died 
except  two  and  they  were  sucking  calves.  We  cleaned  up  the  pasture  and  have 
never  lost  any  cattle  since. — G.  E.  Burkett,  Lincoln  County. 

I  think  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  things  ever  done  for  our  county  when  the 
ticks  were  cleaned  out  of  it.  When  it  was  first  advocated  I  fought  it,  but  now 
I  am  for  it  stronger  than  I  fought  it,  and  I  will  say  to  anyone  and  tell  the 
truth  I  lost  20  per  cent  of  my  cattle  every  season  with  the  fever  and  now  I 
don't  lose  any.  I  hope  this  good  work  will  still  go  on. — M.  B.  Sparlin,  Ottawa 
County. 

It  cost  me  about  $2,000  before  I  fully  learned  that  ticks  killed  cattle.— H.  F. 
Caulk,  Caddo  County. 

I  have  just  shipped  in  one  car  of  purebred  cows,  and  I  have  two  neighbors 
that  have  shipped  in  a  car  each.  Before  tick  Eradication  we  could  not  handle 
this  class  of  cattle,  as  they  would  die  with  the  fever. — Wm  Howell.  Ottawa 
County. 

SOUTH   CAROLINA. 

Tick  eradication  has  put  new  life  into  cattle  raising  in  our  county.  If  we 
could  only  get  like  cooperation  in  the  stamping  out  of  hog  cholera,  our  people 
will  then  turn  to  hog  raising. — J.  A.  Woodley,  Marlboro  County. 

Have  watched  the  cattle  proposition  since  the  eradication  of  the  tick,  and 
everybody  gives  it  praise.  Have  particularly  noticed  the  better  grade  of  cattle; 
also  have  never  heard  of  or  seen  a  tick  since  the  work  was  done.  I  hope  the  good 
work  will  continue  for  the  South. — S.  P.  Clark,  Spartanburg  County. 

I  lost  $400  or  $500  from  the  ticks  myself  before  I  knew  what  it  was.  Lost 
some  of  the  best  milk  cows  I  ever  owned.  The  money  spent  for  tick  eradica- 
tion is  money  well  spent.  Best  thing  the  Government  has  done  for  this  section. 
Cattle  that  sold  here  for  3  to  4  cents  on  foot  now  sell  from  4  to  5$  cents  right 
here  on  my  farm.  I  used  all  my  influence  in  assisting  your  men  here  in  their 
work.  I  thank  you  for  what  you  did  for  me.  I  hope  you  will  continue  the 
work. — A.  W.  Rodgers,  Greenwood  County. 

TENNESSEE. 

The  general  condition  of  cattle  since  the  Texas  tick  was  exterminated  in 
this  county  has  been  much  improved,  the  market  improvement  being  one  of  the 
greatest  advantages  that  has  come  to  us  since.  Our  cattle  are  doing  better  in 
every  way,  and  while  there  was  but  a  small  loss  of  cattle  from  the  tick  there 
were  some,  and  many  poor  cattle  from  the  infection;  we  are  more  than  pleased 
with  the  work,  and  it  has  brought  thousands  of  dollars  each  year  to  this  county 
thai  otherwise  would  have  been  lost. — Geo.  P.  Lindsley,  County  Judge  Roane 
County. 

Lawrence  County  has  certainly  reaped  a  great  benefit  because  of  the  tick 
eradication.  About  10  years  ago  I  went  out  in  my  pasture  and  found  dead  15 
or  20  head  of  2-year-old  steers,  and  I  think  I  lost  as  many  as  75  out  of  the 
150  thai  I  had  at  that  time.  Since  the  tick  eradication  began  in  this  county 
I  have  never  lost  a  cow.  I  have  now  on  the  farm  325  head,  and  I  do  not  believe 
there  is  a  tick  of  any  description  on  the  lot.  Our  county  is  especially  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  Red  and  Japan  clover,  and  within  the  next  few  years  we  will 
have  one  of  the  leading  stock  counties  in  the  State.  I  certainly  appreciate  your 
great  interest  in  this  tick  eradication. — J.  H.  Stribling,  Lawrence  County. 


CATTLE-TICK    ERADICATION.  11 

We  have  already  started  a  herd  of  beef  cattle.  With  regard  to  silos,  can  only 
say  that  the  man  who  built  ours  last  May  has  put  up  10  others  since  then,  and 
can  not  fill  his  orders  fast  enough.  There  has  not  been  a  tick  seen  on  this 
place  in  two  years,  whereas  they  about  owned  it  until  we  went  after  them 
hammer  and  tongs. — C.  E,  Buckle,  Fayette  County. 

Everyone  is  more  interested  in  cattle  raising  in  this  county  now,  and  all 
farmers  are  wanting  purebred  bulls.  I  think  a  carload  of  registered  cattle 
could  be  sold  here  now  for  breeding  purposes.  Everyone  wants  to  get  rid  of 
the  scrub  cattle  and  raise  purebred.  Since  we  began  tick  eradication  I  have 
started  a  nice  herd  of  thoroughbred  Herefords.  I  paid,  in  April,  $125  for  a 
registered  Hereford  bull  calf  9  months  old.  Five  years  ago  I  would  not  have 
paid  the  freight  on  him.— Al  Johnson,  Decatur  County. 

I  think  tick  eradication  is  the  greatest  boon  to  cattle  raisers  in  existence. 
I  usually  lost  from  6  to  10  head  out  of  each  100  before  tick  eradication,  but 
have  not  lost  a  single  one  since  I  began  dipping. — G.  W.  Eaton,  Wayne  County. 

The  eradication  of  ticks  in  Polk  County,  Teim.,  has  done  more  for  the  farmers 
than  anything  that  has  been  done.  You  can't  raise  cattle  and  ticks  together. — 
B.  E.  Biggs,  Polk  County. 

I  think  the  eradication  of  ticks  is  the  best  work  the  Government  ever  did  for 
the  farmer.  I  lost  more  or  less  every  year ;  since  the  tick  has  been  eradicated 
have  not  lost  one. — W.  L.  Hall,  James  County. 

I  want  to  state  that  I  was  opposed  to  the  enforcement  of  the  quarantine  law 
at  the  start,  but  am  in  favor  of  it  at  present. — A.  F.  Hazlegrove,  Hardeman 
County. 

No  one  thing  that  was  ever  done  has  helped  farmers  and  cattle  raisers  in  this 
county  so  much  as  tick  eradication.  Before,  we  had  no  purebreds,  and  now 
we  have  several  purebred  bulls  and  herds.  Several  of  our  cattle  raisers  will 
be  at  the  State  fair  for  the  express  purpose  of  buying  purebreds.  Small  cattle 
of  good  grade  are  worth  as  much  again  since  the  tick  eradication. — John  W. 
Brown,  Marion  County. 

TEXAS. 

I  am  well  pleased  with  the  progress  we  have  made  in  tick  eradication  and 
feel  assured  that  our  business  has  greatly  benefited  with  the  effort.  We  have 
never  injured  or  lost  any  cattle  in  dipping,  and  our  cattle  have  thrived  as  well, 
or  better,  than  they  ever  did  before,  and  this  year  we  have  received  a  splendid 
calf  crop. — Louis  L.  Farr,  Tom  Green  County. 

I  am  an  avowed  enemy  to  the  cattle  tick  and  strong  friend  to  the  eradicative 
move.  Hope  in  the  near  future  the  pest  will  be  driven  into  the  sea. — R.  B. 
Masterson,  King  County. 

I  figure  that  two  men  by  bringing  in  ticky  cattle  have  cost  the  cattlemen  in 
this  county  alone  $75,000  to  $100,000.  One  man  lost  about  50  out  of  100  head, 
and  several  others  lost  heavily. — P.  L.  Anderson,  Stonewall  County. 

I  will  say  eradicating  this  county  of  the  tick  has  been  worth  more  than  could 
be  estimated.  I  myself  shared  greatly  in  the  losses.  As  we  are  about  clean 
of  the  tick  now  all  of  our  pasture  land  is  in  use,  grass  and  cattle  are  worth  more 
money,  and  pasture  land  has  also  increased  in  value. — J.  J.  Summers.  Harde- 
man County. 


12  CATTLE-TICK   EEADICATION. 

To  whom  this  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  there  never  has  been  anything 
worth  as  much  to  a  county  as  the  eradication  of  ticks  has  been  to  this  county; 
far  more  than  anybody  could  expect. — J.  J.  Mitchell,  King  County. 

The  eradication  of  the  tick  has  been  of  untold  value  to  the  stockmen  of  this 
section. — A.  P.  Oliver,  Stonewall  County. 

VIRGINIA. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  eradication  of  ticks  has  greatly  stimulated  the  raising 
of  cattle  in  my  county.  In  times  past  a  number  of  cattle  died  annually  from 
fever,  but  in  the  last  few  years  the  loss  on  this  account  has  been  very  little. 
In  former  years  it  was  very  dangerous  to  bring  cattle  to  this  county  from  other 
sections  of  the  State,  but  since  the  ticks  have  been  eradicated  I  have  heard  no 
complaint  along  this  line. — R.  Tuknbull,  Brunswick  County. 

Prior  to  tick  eradication  it  was  almost  certain  death  to  import  any  good 
stock  cattle.  We  knew  the  fever  killed  them,  but  did  not  know  the  cause. 
Since  this  county  has  been  freed  from  ticks  I  know  of  4  dairies  which  have 
been  established  in  it  now  milking  wrell  over  20  cows  each,  besides  several 
milking  from  4  to  12  cows,  all  of  whom  are  improving  their  herds  by  the  use 
of  purebred  bulls. — Theo.  Whateley,  Campbell  County. 

We  had  scarcely  no  ticks  in  my  county,  but  all  of  the  adjoining  counties  were 
infested,  and  we  were  also  quarantined,  and  for  this  reason  I  could  not  make 
sales  of  cattle  to  go  out  except  for  a  few  weeks  in  the  year.  Since  the  county 
has  been  freed  from  this  trouble  I  have  made  great  progress  in  my  business  of 
breeding  registered  Jersey  cattle.  Had  the  tick  remained  I  could  not  have 
continued  in  this  business.  While  I  used  to  sell  cattle  for  $40  to  $60  each,  I 
now  seldom  make  a  sale  for  less  than  $100  each.  Since  January  1,  1913,  I  have 
sold  15  head  for  an  average  of  $135.  Half  of  these  were  young  bulls  and  bull 
calves. — W.  B.  Gates,  Prince  Edward  County. 

The  tick  eradication  has  certainly  done  great  good ;  there  are  few  deaths  now. 
It  was  certainly  of  great  benefit,  but  the  people  of  this  section  have  never  con- 
sidered the  stock  question  as  they  should  and  have  not  benefited  as  much  as 
they  might  if  they  could  be  brought  to  realize  the  value  stock  would  be  to  their 
farms.  However,  nearly  all  well-informed  people  here  have  come  to  believe  tick 
eradication  is  a  fine  thing. — Robert  Tanner,  Lunenburg  County. 

o- 


WASHINGTON  :  GOVERNMENT  riUNTING  OFFICE  :  1914 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


*-C- 


a~i 


3  1262  08925  9468 


